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What we learned as Steph Curry's scorching 39 in return wasted in Warriors' loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – For a full three quarters Friday night, the Warriors gave themselves a chance to exploit a Minnesota Timberwolves squad that took the floor at Chase Center without star guard Anthony Edwards.

That quest expired in the fourth quarter, though, and the Warriors walked out of Chase Center with a 127-120 loss that vanquished their good vibes and returned them to a zone they would prefer to avoid. They’re back at .500, with a 13-13 record.

The loss spoiled a spectacular return by Stephen Curry, who poured in a game-high 39 points – 14 of which came in the fourth quarter. Quinten Post finished with 16 points, Jimmy Butler III had 15, Pat Spencer 12 and Moses Moody 11.

The teams stayed within six points of each other until Minnesota rallied late, taking a double-digit lead and holding on.

Here are three observations from a second consecutive game in which Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, though healthy, never left the bench:

The Return of Steph

After missing five games over two weeks with what he described as a left quad contusion and muscle strain, Curry’s return was the subject of considerable curiosity. It was natural to wonder how good he would be.

Quite good, in fact.

Curry put Golden State on the scoreboard with a floater 44 seconds after tipoff, and followed up with back-to-back triples to score eight of the Warriors’ first 12 points.

He tested his agility several times, most notably with a dribbling exhibition during a shuttle drill that led to a circus layup that somehow found its way through the elongated arms of 6-foot-9 Jaden McDaniels.

Curry’s 39 points come on 14-of-28 shooting from the field, including 6-of-15 from deep. He added five assists and five rebounds over 32 minutes.

The franchise player seems to be OK, much to the delight of the Warriors.

Fourth quarter non-Steph minutes were painful and costly

The Warriors opened the fourth quarter with a 91-88 lead and Curry in his usual spot, seated on the bench for the first few minutes.

After a Moses Moody bucket gave the Warriors a 96-91 lead with 10:34 left, the Timberwolves seized the moment, going on a 17-0 run, taking a 12-point lead (108-96) with 5:50 remaining.

With Curry observing, Minnesota outscored Golden State 14-5 to take a lead and generate enough momentum that never quite went away. The Warriors rallied behind Curry – who scored 14 points in the quarter – and even took a 115-114 lead on a Curry triple with 2:09 remaining. A Moody layup off a turnover pushed the margin to three with 1:58 to go.

The Warriors scored only three points down the stretch, while the Timberwolves piled up 13 over the final 1:48, with Donte DiVincenzo dropping in a pair of devastating 3-pointers.

The Warriors were outscored by 10 in the quarter but by one (25-24) after Curry reentered.

Size matters . . . kind of

The Warriors’ lack of size – they are the shortest team in the league – sometimes is a defensive liability, and such was the case on this night.

With Edwards sidelined with right foot soreness, the Timberwolves turned their offense over to the big boys up front: Starters Rudy Gobert (7-foot-1), Julius Randle (6-foot-9) and McDaniels, along with 6-foot-9 Sixth Man Naz Reid. For context, 6-foot-5 Moody spent most of his 23 minutes at power forward.

That foursome represented Minnesota’s top four scorers, as they combined for 86 points and were responsible for the Timberwolves’ whopping 66-44 advantage in points in the paint. Randle finished with 27 points, Gobert with 24, Reid with 18 and McDaniels with 17.

It wasn’t that the Warriors lacked effort. Oh, they tried, as indicated by the tenacity on display to come away finished only minus-2 (44-42) in rebounding. 

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Observations after Embiid scores season-high 39, Sixers beat Pacers without Maxey  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It wasn’t at all easy, but the Sixers moved to 1-0 this season without Tyrese Maxey on Friday night.

They earned a 115-105 win over the Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena with Maxey out because of an illness and now sit at 14-10 overall. Indiana fell to 6-19. 

Joel Embiid starred with a season-best 39 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He played a season-high 32 minutes.

VJ Edgecombe posted his fourth 20-point game in the NBA, tallying 22 points, five assists and four rebounds. Paul George had 23 points, six boards and five assists.

Pascal Siakam (20 points) and Andrew Nembhard (18 points) were the Pacers’ top scorers.

In addition to Maxey, the Sixers were down Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain), Trendon Watford (left adductor strain) and Hunter Sallis (right shoulder sprain).

The Sixers will visit the Hawks on Sunday night. Here are observations on their win over the Pacers:

Edgecombe steps up at the start 

The Sixers used a starting lineup of Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, George, Dominick Barlow and Embiid. Grimes’ start was his fifth of the season.

George hit a mid-range jumper on the Sixers’ first possession and chipped in eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, three rebounds and two assists in his opening stint. Edgecombe and George began the night as the Sixers’ primary ball handlers. 

Edgecombe had a very strong, attack-minded start. 

He canned an early pull-up jumper, slammed in a fast-break dunk, and buried a corner three-pointer to give the Sixers a 19-10 lead. The rookie continued playing sharp, decisive basketball and doing damage as a downhill driver. He stayed on the floor the whole first quarter and racked up 14 points in the period on only six field goal attempts. 

Embiid breaks out of shooting slump

The Sixers played Edgecombe and four bench players for the final few minutes of the first quarter. 

On the Indiana side, T.J. McConnell ran the second-unit show and caused tons of problems for his former team. He reached 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting with a three early in the second quarter. McConnell then took a charge on Jabari Walker and Jay Huff followed with at triple that pulled the Pacers ahead. 

Momentum shifted back toward the Sixers after Embiid checked back in. Embiid, who was coming off of a 4-for-21 shooting game in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, amped up his aggression in the second quarter and found a scoring rhythm against Pacers big man Jay Huff. He worked for post position, sank mid-range jumpers and drew regular free throws. 

Embiid also snapped a prolonged long-range dry spell. He’d gone 0 for 14 for three-point territory over his last three games and missed his first three attempts Friday. Finally, with 1.6 seconds left in the second quarter, Embiid brought the ball forward and swished a three to send the Sixers into halftime with a 63-58 edge. 

Sixers shake off more 3rd-quarter trouble

Embiid didn’t stop shooting open jumpers. Threes from Embiid and Grimes pushed the Sixers’ lead to double digits early in the third quarter.

When the Pacers moved to a zone defense, the Sixers fed Embiid often in the high post. His decision-making wasn’t flawless, but he kept producing and making frequent trips to the foul line. Embiid shot a season-high 18 free throws and made 13.

Yet again, the Sixers couldn’t manage a smooth third quarter and the Pacers put together a run.

Isaiah Jackson stripped the ball from Embiid on the perimeter and then drew a loose-ball foul on him. Embiid subbed out and Jackson made his second foul shot to tie the game at 82-all. A few possessions later, Nembhard leaked out for a layup that pushed Indiana in front.

The Sixers didn’t have much offensive support for Embiid, Edgecombe and George.

Jared McCain had five points on 2-for-6 shooting in 14 minutes. Justin Edwards went 0 for 5 from the floor and played 19 scoreless minutes. The Sixers remained behind when Embiid came back for his final stint with a little over seven minutes to go. 

The Sixers played good team defense down the stretch, limiting the Pacers’ clean looks and avoiding cheap fouls. Their stars came through, too.

Embiid scored a big put-back bucket, scrapping to grab a Grimes miss and converting an and-one layup that gave the Sixers a 108-102 lead. George made a driving lay-in with just under two minutes to play.

Embiid added one more mid-range hoop in the final minute and wound up exceeding his prior season best in scoring by 10 points.

Steph Curry incredulous after being called for foul despite getting thrown down originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry‘s second personal foul of the Warriors’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday might be one of the worst calls of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Curry was defending Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels midway through the third quarter, and as they fought for positioning, the Warriors’ star was yanked to the court.

McDaniels clearly pulls Curry and throws him to the ground.

But the referees called Curry for the foul.

A stunned Curry looked at the nearby refs, but the Warriors didn’t challenge the play.

Warriors fans at Chase Center saw the replay on the videoboard, couldn’t believe the call and let the referees know they disagreed with the foul.

Curry hasn’t gotten the benefit of the doubt on calls throughout his 17-year NBA career, and Friday’s call is the latest evidence.

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Domantas Sabonis reportedly prepared to remain with Kings despite trade interest originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Domantas Sabonis appears unlikely to be on the move anytime soon.

The 29-year-old center is prepared to remain with the Kings for the foreseeable future, even as teams continue to gauge Sacramento’s interest ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported Friday, citing league sources.

Signed through 2027-28 and owed about $94 million over the next two seasons, Sabonis carries a sizable financial commitment that narrows his trade market.

The Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls previously have shown “significant interest” in the All-Star center, per Amick, and still are believed to be on Sabonis’ short list of potential destinations. But with first-year general manager Scott Perry preaching patience as the organization attempts to reset its direction, a major move involving Sacramento’s starting big man does not appear imminent.

Sabonis has been sidelined since Nov. 19 with a partial tear of his left meniscus and is scheduled to be re-evaluated next week. Before the injury, he averaged 17.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as one of the central pieces of the Kings’ veteran core. His absence has only added to Sacramento’s challenge as the team continues searching for stability.

With Sacramento sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and Perry intent on protecting future draft capital, the path to a Sabonis trade remains complicated. For now, all signs point to him staying in a Kings uniform beyond the Feb. 5 deadline.

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